Laisser-aller
by Pulchra Stellam
Summary: To truly let go, one must be strong. To be truly brave, one must act even when afraid. OCs
1. Alazne

**My new obsession. I read all of the manga chapter is, like, two days. I need more.**  
**I was inspired by some of the other lovely SnK stories on here. And by my own need to throw a(some) character(s) into this world and have them grow up in it and deal with it.**

**I do not own SnK.**

**Laisser-aller**

Alazne was a precocious child.

She had an inexplicable need to know things, which had showed very early on in her development. Her 'why' phase morphed into a 'who, what, when, where, _and_ why' phase that only lessened over the years, but still remained very much intact at her current age of ten. It was this intense sense of curiosity that was the source of many of her bruises and scratches, especially as she tried to mimic the odd rope-walking technique her brother had been attempting for a month now.

"Why are you doing this?" The small, tan brunette questioned, "What's the point of trying to walk on the rope?"

The fourteen-year-old cursed lightly as he slipped off to the ground, ignoring the subsequent giggles from his sister, "It's for balance, Laz! Nothing compared to the actual 3DMG maneuvering, but balance is balance."

Before stepping back on the rope spanning five feet from skinny tree to skinny tree, the boy paused and pointed at his sister –

"And don't you dare repeat any bad words to mom and dad."

Alazne grinned, latched her hands behind her back, and rocked onto her heels; the perfect picture of devious innocence.

"I won't…maybe. If you let me rope-walk too, and teach me some of that fighting stuff, Emilio."

She was also a cunning child, Alazne.

Emilio groaned, "Laz, come on. The rope-walking is fine, but fighting?"

"Fine, don't," Alazne crinkled her nose, "But next time I see mom the first thing I'm going to say is 'Guess what new word Emilio taught me? It's fu-'"

"Alright! Fine, you win!"

Alazne cackled, clapping her hands together happily before scurrying over to pull herself up onto the rope. Her brother's mumblings about balance were nothing but muffled, unintelligible words to her ears – she was far too focused on stepping one foot in front of the other on the wobbly rope. Her legs shook somewhat violently before she slipped, tumbling to the dirt with a dusty puff following her landing.

"Oof," Alazne's lips smacked together and her nose scrunched at the taste of dirt.

Emilio laughed, "I figured that'd happen!"

His younger sister glared indolently, "I don't fall when I climb trees."

"Trees are different," her brother snickered, his arms splayed out as he wavered on the rope, "They have more solidity."

The small girl grumbled, her cheeks puffing as her brother stumbled off the rope and teetered back up – apparently letting her 'try rope-walking' meant one shot this time around. But she still had the chance to do it when he wasn't around, and there was the fact that he's promised –

"You have to teach me that fighting stuff too!"

Emilio stumbled and jumped off the rope, scowling at his sister, "Yeah, I know! Tomorrow morning, okay? After we finish our chores."

Seemingly appeased, the ten-year-old's puffed cheeks deflated. Though that didn't mean she wasn't still put off that she wasn't going to get another shot at rope-walking anytime soon. Alazne shot her wobbling brother one last look before moving to shimmy up one of the trees, her eyes locked determinedly on the lowest branch – ten feet away from the ground.

She was a small, limber girl with a surprising strength that came from her tree climbing habits over the last few years – it had started when she saw a bird nest nestled in a high branch when she was seven. Her curiosity had her spend nearly an hour trying to climb up until she made it, and even now she considered the jelly-like feel she'd had in her arms and legs that next day worth it. Even if she'd nearly fallen out of the tree thanks to an angry mama bird.

"One day," Emilio huffed from below, "You're going to fall and beak something, and mom'll blame _me_ for it."

"I'm not going to fall!" Alazne's cheeks puffed out for a second time that day, "I never have!"

Her brother grunted and swiped a hand across his brow, "Yeah, well, there's a first for everything, you know."

Suddenly, the light thumping of another child's footsteps caught the siblings' attention – it was Walsh Macintyre, the nine year old son of one of their neighbors.

"A-Alazne! E-Emilio!" Walsh's breath came out in loud whooshes, his ginger hair in disarray, "There're some Scouts passin' though!"

That was all it took to get Emilio off the rope and Alazne shimmying down the tree; soldiers weren't uncommon around Shiganshina, but they were mostly part of the Garrison sector. Scouts came through a couple of times a year to venture out past the walls and was something most of the younger generations crowded the streets to see.

If they were like Alazne they took count of how many there were leaving and compared the numbers to their return – the results of this were often morbid, but the small child kept it up none-the-less. She would always end up somewhat saddened as she realized the losses, and part of her wondered if there was someone – anyone – who could one day make a difference.

"Hey, Emilio," she puffed once they came to a stop to watch the soldiers marching towards them down the streets, "Which sector are you going to join?"

"The Garrisons, _maybe_ the scouts," Emilio eyed the scouts, "But the scouts kinda seem too intimidating; dangerous."

Walsh sucked in a big breath, "Yeah, and the Garrisons mean you might still be stationed around Shiganshina, right?"

"Yeah," Emilio grinned, "I wish I didn't have to wait another year though; I'm old enough to enter now, but mom and dad are so adamant about me waiting 'till I'm fifteen."

Alazne stood beside her brother, slightly thankful that her parents had made such a decision; it meant she got to spend more time with her big brother. Her wide green eyes trailed from her brother to watch the now passing soldiers, most of them with solemn faces. One just so happened to turn to look at them and Alazne found herself beaming up at him, her eyes crinkling with the size of it.

Alazne was proud to say that the young man's own lips quirked up at the sight of her smile, a more happy gleam in his eyes – even if it was only for a moment.

Her brother made a grunting noise from beside her as he watched them move on towards the gates – the man had turned forward at this point – and for a moment Alazne herself wondered what it would really be like to join the forces.

It was a thought that had flittered through her mind on occasion – mostly when her brother rattled on or when she was caught up in watching the men and women up on the walls.

'_It's scary to think about,'_ Alazne skipped along behind her brother, his and Walsh's voices only half making sense as she considered things, _'All the bad things that could happen if I joined. My big brother is so brave!'_

"Hey, Alazne!" Walsh gripped her wrist and her brother scurried back towards his rope in their back yard, "I was gonna go find Alaina and Bertram – you wanna come?"

The little brunette nodded her head buoyantly at the ginger boy, "Mmhmm, sure!"

The nine and ten year olds strutted off, waving to Alazne's mother as they went – only pausing when she demanded that Alazne be home in an hour for dinner. They skittered through crowds, chatting about what they'd been doing lately – apparently Walsh was going to be a big brother. It was only after a short five minutes that they found the two they were looking for – ten-year-old Bertram Phelps and his twin sister Alaina.

"Bertram, Lainey!" Walsh stumbled as he rushed forward, nearly tripping over a loose rock in the path, "Did'ja see the Scouts troop come through?"

Bertram wrinkled his nose at Walsh's excitement, "Yeah, I dunno who didn't, what with everyone crowding the sides of the street."

"C'mon Bertie!" Alaina pulled on his arm, earning a weak glare for using the nickname, "They're cool, aren't they? The Scouts? That's what I wanna be!"

"No way, Lainey!" Bertram snapped before eyeing Walsh and Alazne, "The scouts are dangerous. How many of 'em do you think are gonna come back alive?"

Walsh quieted and kicked at the dirt while Alaina just stuck up her nose, leaving Alazne as the one to respond verbally –

"Are you scared, Bertie?"

Alazne giggled, her grin widening as Bertram stiffened at the nickname.

"My brother said he might join the scouts, you know. He's _brave_, wanting to go out and protect people and all."

Bertram glowered, still off-put by the fact that someone other than his sister called him 'Bertie', and angered by Alazne's blatant insult. He puffed up slightly in his anger, practically towering over the three others with his unusual for his age height. Alaina patted her brother on the arm –

"C'mon Bertie, I think you're brave! Besides, you know Laz likes to tease people."

The boy simmered down a little at his sister's words, though he was still sending Alazne a sour look, "Tease? You mean insult. Laz the Spaz just needs to go back up into the trees she loves so much."

Alazne laughed, not really offended by Bertram's sour attitude. It was like her mother always said: People who are pointlessly spiteful and mean want nothing more than attention; be the better person and turn the other cheek.

Walsh wavered off to the side, not quite taking a side in the little war between Bertram and Alazne – though it did seem to stress him out, even if he wasn't directly involved. Alazne just rocked back on her heels, a grin still on her face as Bertram glowered. As soon as it seemed like one of the two was about to say something, Alaina cut in.

"Hey, Laz," Alaina stepped in front of her twin, the top of her head barely reaching his chin, "What exactly is it that you like about trees? You do seem to climb them a lot."

"I feel freer, I guess." Alazne tilted her head to the side, her green eyes sparkling in contemplation, "I can see a lot more up there. Being up so high is pretty fun too."

"I think the watching is the best part though," Alazne continued, her hands clasping behind her back as she rocked on her feet, "Most people don't notice you up there, so I see a lot of stuff."

Walsh stepped forward, his tone curious, "Like what?"

Her green eyes twinkled as she snickered, "Mister Farrow has a mirror on the little barn in his backyard and he talks to himself in it, and Jena Murfree kissed three different guys last week alone."

Alaina laughed while Walsh hid a smile and some snickers behind a hand, and even Bertram cracked a bit of a smile at the new information. As the amusement died down a sudden game of tag broke out – Alazne might have prodded someone one too many times – that had the four skipping and running around the grassy areas in between buildings until the four dogpiled on a once again fuming Bertram.

Alazne shuffled back from the pile, laughing and breathing more heavily than before, "I gotta go guys – dinner is soon. See you all later!"

The female of the blond twins waved and called out a cheerful goodbye with Bertram standing grumpily by her side and Walsh waved before freezing and realizing that he too needed to get home. With a worried yelp the ginger boy called hasty goodbyes to the twins, stumbling after his brunette neighbor.

"L-Laz!" Walsh stumbled to her side, "W-wait up!"

Alazne slowed her pace some, waiting for the younger neighbor boy to catch up, still puffing from running around earlier.

"You're not very athletic, are you Walsh?"

Walsh reddened, "Y-yeah, I guess not…"

"Hey!" The brunette perked up and spun to walk backwards in front of Walsh, "I can teach you to climb trees and stuff, I think that's what helped me!"

Walsh's brown eyes widened slightly as he looked at the still backwards walking Alazne, "Really? T-that might be fun."

"Mmkay!" Alazne spun forward to begin skipping, "How 'bout tomorrow after lunch sometime? I'll come find you!"

The ginger boy nodded happily and the two exchanged their last goodbyes, as they'd reached their respective homes. Upon entering her own home, Alazne was rushed to the bathroom by her mother to hurry and wash her hands. Her brother complained behind her, as the rule was that no one got food until everyone was at the table.

"Hurry up, Laz," Emilio groaned, then winced as his mother wacked his hand with a spoon.

"Sorry, sorry," Alazne settled into her seat, not seeming the least bit sorry, "Oh, momma, daddy! We saw the Scouts today!"

Her mother tensed slightly, not that the child really noticed, "Oh? And what did you think?"

"They're, like, really brave, aren't they?" Alazne chewed on some bread, her eyes glimmering as she thought back to earlier, "I dunno if I could be that brave though."

"You don't have to be! There's no need for any –"

"Marisol!" He placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, "Now is not the time or place."

Marisol frowned, focusing back on her small portion of food. Alazne shrunk into herself and her brother stabbed at his food with a solemn look on his face.

'_She doesn't even want big brother to go, does she?'_ Alazne nibbled some more on her food, _'But why? Big brother is brave, he's gonna be a hero!'_

**Laisser-aller**

**Btw, I'm somewhat confused as to why there's ANOTHER category on here for SnK under it's English translation. Is it supposed to be more anime based stories? Eh, who knows. Hope you enjoyed!  
**

**Also: I will be updating this around next weekend. I can say this because I actually have the next chapter written and a basic outline for the third. Go me!**


	2. Emilio

**I said Friday last chapter – but it'll be the 4****th**** and on the 5****th**** we're canoeing. So, I'll update now. A/N at the bottom.**

**Laisser-aller**

If someone jumped out of nowhere, he would scream. Or if some wild animal came running at him, he too, would run.

You see…

Emilio was a coward, plain and simple.

When he was around Walsh and Alazne's ages, sure, he wanted to be some super strong hero – but now? Now he just wanted to be safe. So Emilio did the only thing he could think of – he started training so he could inevitably make it into the top ten of his regiment when the time came.

The rope-walking, getting up early to run, fighting…. It was all a means to an end. And that end was the Military Police behind Wall Sina – far, _far_ away from Wall Maria.

Walking down the streets a couple of days ago to see the Scouting Squad that was leaving – he was shaking on the inside. And when he told Walsh and his little sister that he _might, just maybe_ join the Scouts was a lie. A bold faced lie because how could he make himself look like an utter coward in front of his little sister? The part about the Garrisons was a partial lie – if he didn't make top ten he'd most definitely go there.

Emilio had realized a couple of years ago that only the strongest were the safest. Because the strong were _wanted_ and _needed_ by the king.

Was it wrong of his to want to be safe?

He didn't think so.

And was it so wrong of him to not look like a coward in front of his little sister?

To him it seemed only natural.

She was –

"Emilio!" Emilio jerked, his sister's pouting face coming into view, "Emilio stop spacin' out! You're supposed to be teaching me to fight!"

Emilio laughed and rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry Laz. Where were we again?"

He was half out of it as he taught Alazne what he himself had learned so far – which wasn't much, since he only knew basic stuff from the very, _very_ few and rare times he'd seen members of the troops sparring. As they progressed Emilio was both proud and upset – Alazne caught on _quick_.

He figured it was because she observed things so intently, both from the ground and from her spots up in the trees. Emilio had watched _her_ on countless occasions – enough to see her wide, observant eyes drinking in her surroundings. She wasn't smart, per say, just perceptive.

And being perceptive could be just as good as being intelligent, couldn't it? If she had the right incentive, Emilio would bet on the fact that Alazne could excel in her chosen field – or maybe that was just the proud big brother in him talking.

"Hey, you guys!"

Emilio and Alazne settled into more relaxed stances, looking over to see a happily waving Alaina alongside her twin and Walsh.

"You guys, the Scouts are back!"

As his little sister brushed past him in a hurry, Emilio found himself following, his bigger teenage frame having a more difficult time squeezing through the crowds. Emilio was significantly annoyed by all the pushing and shoving by the time he reached his sister and her friends at the side of the street – just in time to see the soldiers come into view.

They were haggard and some were even more despondent than when they left. It was that moment that everyone in their little group had their own realizations.

Walsh realized that all of the soldiers looked _terrified_.

Alaina realized that the scouts were dangerous, but _she still wanted to be a part of it_.

Bertram realized his sister _still wanted to join the scouts_.

Alazne realized _the man she had smiled at_ _wasn't there_.

Emilio realized how _absolutely terrified he was_, and how all the kids around him were fairly conflicted and scared themselves.

It was horrifying to think that that could be him one day if he didn't make it to the Military Police. He could very well be titan fodder in the next few years – that or a hollow shell of himself. Emilio wet his lips – lips he hadn't even realized were dry in the first place – and watched as everyone dispersed with a new solemn feel to the air.

"See, Alaina," Bertram grumbled, "Half of 'em are _dead_ now."

"So?" Emilio felt numb as he watched Alaina argue with her brother.

"So? _So_?!" Bertram grabbed his sister's shoulders, "So that'll be _you_ if you join the scouts!"

Emilio's green eyes watched as Alaina jerked away to stand with his little sister and Walsh, "You don't believe in me! I can be strong! I'll be _fine_!"

Before it could escalate, Emilio finally found his voice –

"Bertram, Alaina, stop it. You're causing a scene. Bertram, take it up at home or with your parents; not in the middle of the street."

The boy huffed and grumbled before turning sharply and bustling down the street – Emilio was sure there would be problems at their home tonight. Any parents would be upset – especially if their kid wanted to join the _scouts_.

"Hey," his little sister's voice brought his thoughts and eyes back to the three kids in front of him, "Lainey, why don't you come climb trees with us?"

The little blonde girl agreed and the three made to head off when Alazne turned around –

"You wanna come with us, big bro?"

Emilio smiled down at his sister, "No thanks, Laz. I'm going to go find Bali and see if there's any news from Humphrey."

He watched as the three ran off in the direction he realized led towards Mister Farrow's home – probably spying on the man again. Emilio shook his head and turned to go the opposite direction, hoping to find his friend in a timely manner.

A very pretty friend that happened to be dating their mutual friend, Humphrey Krieg. Emilio had always been a bit upset that Bali had ended up with Humphrey – she was a pretty girl with light brown skin, blue-green eyes, and long black hair. Both Emilio and Humphrey had grown up around her, and had grown the same feelings for the strong spirited beauty. Regardless of his feelings for the girl, Emilio was happy enough to have them both as friends.

"Bali!" Emilio raised a hand in greeting and the girl turned to him with a smile, "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm well," Bali lifted the bag in her arms, "Just picking up some things in town for mother. How are you?"

"Here, let my carry that," Emilio laughed and coaxed the bag out of her arms, "And I'm good – Alazne has been bugging me a lot more here recently. Great kid, but a little too demanding."

Bali lifted a hand to her mouth as she laughed, "Yes, yes. I saw her just yesterday – up in a tree, as per usual for that girl."

Emilio laughed, feeling lighter than air as he talked to his childhood friend, not at all minding the semi-heavy bag in his arms. They laughed and joked and Emilio tried not to think about anything inappropriate – he could never break up what Humphrey and Bali had even if he wanted to. They were too in love, and he was too afraid to ever do such a thing.

"Oh, well!" Bali's mother greeted them at the door, her skin pale in contrast to her daughter's, "Hello there Emilio, it's been a few days since I've seen you around."

"Hello, Mrs. Misra," Emilio grinned, hefting up the bag, "Where would you like this?"

The older woman clicked her tongue and ushered him in, "How gentlemanly, carrying that for Bali. On the counter please dear."

As soon as the bag was down Mrs. Misra was ushering the two young teens out –

"Go on, I know you got a letter from Humphrey today, Bali dear. Go gossip and write your return letter now."

Bali blushed, something Emilio thought was pretty on her features. Her mother laughed and shooed the two again and Bali practically sprinted out the door. Emilio followed at a slower pace, finding his female friend perched with paper and a pencil under their usual tree; one with a nice, flat rock they could write on.

Emilio dropped down into the grass next to her and clasped his hands together, "What's the news from Humphrey?"

"Ah, apparently the Commander over them is very… loud and aggressive." Bali smoothed over the paper, "Keith Shadis, is his name. Apparently he screamed in their faces the very first day."

"Screamed in their faces?" Emilio shifted – would that happen when he went next year? How intimidating would this Shadis guy be?

The darker skinned girl laughed, "Oh, he probably just tried to shake them some. It couldn't be too bad, but I suppose we'll find out next year, yeah?"

His eyes widened – that was news. Bali had never said she wanted to join the forces, at least she hadn't told Emilio that. Emilio looked over at the girl – had Humphrey joining pushed her to this decision? And her mother – was she not going to fight Bali on this? Or perhaps she had already, though Emilio thought the woman would have been tenser and more subdued earlier if she had.

Bali laughed, as if she knew what Emilio had been thinking, "Mother and I talked a couple of days ago. She knows how hard-headed I am. She understands."

"Ah, my mom is still upset with me," Emilio managed, "Dad is still kind of against it too, but not like mom is."

Emilio didn't want Bali out there – what if she got hurt? Died? She could make it into the top ten; he'd help her if she needed it. Then she could join the Military Police – with him, safe within Wall Sina.

"I'm aiming for the Garrisons, I think," Emilio's heart sunk at her words, "That's where Humphrey wants to go, and the other day Alazne said that's where you might go. We'd all be together, isn't that great?"

The smile on Emilio's face became weaker and harder to hold, "Yeah, awesome!"

What was he going to do now? Emilio wanted to scream; he couldn't go into dangerous territory. How disappointed would his friends be when they found out he really wanted the Military Police?

A coward. Would that be what they called him?

A coward and a liar?

All of a sudden there was a shower of leaves and big green eyes in his face, causing him to tumble back with a yelp and Bali let out a screech of alarm.

Boisterous laughter followed, and deep brown hair shook as the upside down girl's mirth grew.

"Alazne," Emilio snapped, "What the hell?"

More snickers followed as Walsh tumbled from the tree and Alaina peeked down from a branch, even Bali had started to laugh, leaving Emilio as the only upset one.

Emilio ran a hand down his face, a weak smile taking form, "Why this tree, Alazne?"

"I knew you'd come here," Alazne chirped, heaving back into an upright position, "You guys always hang out under this tree!"

Bali laughed and raised a hand to high five the younger girl, "I shouldn't be surprised, you silly girl. Spying might just get you in trouble one day though."

As they all laughed and joked Emilio worked to calm his still rapidly beating heart – was he going to die of a heart attack _before_ he even got to the training camps, let alone Wall Sina?

**Laisser-aller**

**These first few chapters will the semi-introducing the other characters better; I'll have a chapters for Walsh, Bali, and a dual chapter for Alaina and Bertram. Not necessarily in that order. After that I'll probably try focusing on Alazne with occasional chapters focused on another character.**

**I'll just have to see how it goes while writing, really.**


	3. Alaina & Bertram

**So… I found out something I didn't even know about one of my own characters while writing this. I never planned for this to be part of their character, but I wrote it and didn't realize what I'd written until I went over it and… well, **_**it makes so much sense**_**.**

**I think you'll probably see what I mean.**

**[][][][][][][][][][]**

**Laisser-aller – CH3**

Alaina and Bertram were their own version of 'inseparable'.

While they were often found together, their differences in ideals found them apart a fair amount of time as well. Perhaps it was a case of clashing personalities as well, though if anything it seemed like Alaina was the only one within their group with the demeanor and ability to calm down Bertram from one of his rants.

On the other hand, Bertram didn't have that profound effect on his twin sister. If anything, he made things harder on her – which he hated, but what could he do? His sister had crazy ambitions that would kill her in the long run, and how could any brother take that without putting up some kind of fight. It didn't help that that stupid, silly girl Alazne actually encouraged his sister's crazy aspirations. And that _his_ own _sister_ seemed more than willing to go to _her_ instead of to _him_.

Alaina was appreciative of the shorter girl though – she was probably the only person aside from Bali that didn't question her about joining the Scouts. Or yell at her for it or anything else.

That's not to say that the twins don't ever get along, or that they don't spend a lot of time together. Bertram and Alaina liked to spend as much time together as possible, be it just running around outside or sitting and reading something. Though when it came to the others, namely Alazne, Bertram sometimes needed to go his separate way. Thinking time was often precious time to the blond boy.

"Let's go out, Bertie!" Alaina jumped down from their warped porch, her nose crinkling up in a smile, "Maybe we can find Laz and Walsh!"

Bertram grumbled – he was not fond of the idea of finding Laz the Spaz, or the nickname his sister and the others called him.

"Can't we just stay here?" Bertram stomped after his sister, "Why do you even like that spaz anyways?"

Alaina frowned; she never really understood why exactly her brother disliked Alazne so much.

"She's my friend, Bertie," Alaina pursed her lips for a moment before they fell back into a soft smile, "She supports me, I support her. We talk and have fun."

The taller blond grumbled, crossing his arms upon hearing the loud laughter of the girl his sister was looking for. Bertram considered things for a moment before halting, thus causing Alaina to stop as well –

"Go on, Lainey. I'm gonna go somewhere else."

Alaina tugged at her braid, her brows furrowed, "But Bertie…"

"I don't feel like running around today. Go on."

She bit her lip, still confused but not willing to argue. Instead she just nodded and waved before running to catch up with her friends somewhere in the distance – her brother needed some alone time right now.

**Laisser-aller**

Alaina found Alazne and Walsh doing typical Alazne and Walsh things – which meant they were off on some adventure that Alazne thought would be fun. More often than not her adventures involved climbing trees or spying, not that Alaina wasn't up for that most of the time. These little adventures gave her a reprieve from her brother's sour attitude toward her dream of being a Scout. And Alaina had figured Alazne was right about one thing – climbing trees and being so high was _liberating_.

"Lainey~!" Alaina's smile widened as her perky, brunette friend came into view with her arm waving wildly in the air.

"Laz!" Alaina laughed as Alazne gripped her hands, "What's got you so excited?"

The brunette twirled to point towards the center of town, "The traders are in town!"

At that revelation Alaina's eyes lit up; the things the traders brought in were so interesting sometimes. And the fact that there was always some weird guy that sold carpets was also a plus side – the man was a bit deranged and always a fun sight, what with how people sometimes just flat out ran away from him. Alaina's favorite thing had to be the tiny glass blower stand that sometimes showed up; the owner was from the inner most wall, so he only came out to Shiganshina once or twice a year. She would probably never be able to afford any of the trinkets, but she couldn't help but to admire them.

She could name everyone else's favorite places too.

Alazne loved the furs, which was ironic because Bertram did too (Alaina admitted they were pretty, but the glass figurines were almost _magical_). Walsh favored all the different tools and artsy things people brought, while the older two – Bali and Emilio – both seemed fonder of the performers that sometimes showed up with the traders.

They all held a mutual dislike for any fabric or clothes traders and wood carvers though, as Alazne and Emilio's mother was a local seamstress and their father a carver. And as friends of the family they had a mutual – but silent – agreement to snub the carvers and fabric and clothes traders.

"Oooh, look!" Alazne was practically bouncing, pointing off to the side, "They're playing music and _dancing_! Let's dance guys!"

Walsh sputtered off to the side and Alaina laughed as he tried to worm out of it –

"I-I don't know how to dance! None of us do!"

A cackle followed his words and both Walsh and Alaina found themselves being quite literally dragged over to where people were dancing. Alaina fell into the rhythm rather easily, finding it nice to just let go and relax – though her laughter didn't help her breathing, as Alazne was rather forcefully spinning an embarrassed Walsh around. But even Walsh was enjoying it, though he was much too shy, she knew, to ever start dancing like this on his own.

"You all look stupid," came the derisive snort sometime later, and much to Alaina's dismay it was Bertram.

"We're having fun, Bertie," Alazne huffed, "Do _you_ know what fun is?"

Bertram started to redden and Alaina started to feel lost – she just didn't understand. She didn't understand this unusual dislike her brother had for her best friend and she didn't like it. It was so stressful and heartbreaking to watch two of her precious people go at it.

"_This_ is stupid," Bertram spat, "_You_ look stupid."

Alazne scrunched her nose and leaned back, "Stupid? If having fun makes me look _stupid_, then fine. _I don't care_."

The moment her brother readied himself to respond, Alaina jumped in and pushed against his chest –

"Bertie, let's go look at the furs? And I got some change, so we can get some candy too, okay?"

There was a moment that made Alaina afraid she wasn't going to be able to stop this argument, but Bertram slumped down and backed away a few steps. Relieved that the argument was avoided, but upset that she was going to be leaving her friends, Alaina turned to say goodbye with a half-smile and got two more reserved ones in return before the pairs split for the day.

Alaina just wished they could get along – she _loved_ her friends. Her friends and her brother were her most precious people, and she just wanted her brother to understand that. He was her twin, and their mother used to call them 'two halves of a whole', but if that was true then why could her brother not understand her? Could he not see that him being mean to her friends made her sad?

**Laisser-aller**

Bertram had felt somewhat lonely when he and Alaina had split, but what made it worse was that he _knew_ Alaina didn't feel that same loneliness when they were apart. It hurt to know that he wasn't as important to his twin as she was to him – they were each other's 'other half.' That was what their mother told them, how she said twins worked.

Half of a whole.

So when Alaina decided to leave Alazne and Walsh to come with him he was _happy_. Happier, anyways. And how could he not feel happy when he felt whole?

"Bertie," Alaina tugged on his sleeve, her eyes focused on one of the furs in front of her, "Isn't this one pretty? They all look so soft too."

"Yeah, it does," Bertram shifted and caught a glint out of the corner of his eye, "Hey, Alaina, I think that glass blower you love is here."

His sister's reaction was immediate – her eyes lit up, her smile widened, and childish glee crossed her face as she grabbed his hand to tug her along. _This_ was how his sister should always be – happy, free, and _safe_.

It was how she _should_ be, but not what she _wanted_ to be – which was wrong and stupid. But –

But he couldn't dwell on that right now; not when they were happy and together and getting along. He'd make her see later, he'd get her to see the truth through her silly whims. She was so happy right now though, looking at the little glass figurines, and he wanted that to last for a while.

"Bertie," came his sister's voice, "let's go get some candy now – then we can go to our spot."

Her smile was almost angelic and her eyes were as green as the grass around them; she was in the high spirits that she was meant to always be in. Once again she grabbed his hand and pulled him along, stopping only one more time to buy two small pieces of candy and Bertram…

Bertram just followed along happily, because he felt like everything was right in the world.

**Laisser-aller**

**So, Bertram…I think you probably noticed his whole 'sister-complex' in this chapter. Which is fitting, since this chapter was to expand on his and Alaina's characters. That is what I referred to above. Totally didn't plan the complex, but it explains exactly why he dislikes Alazne so much, does it not?**

**I feel bad this wasn't longer, but I hope the 'official' chapters will be. I only have Walsh and Bali left as far as 'introductory' chapters go. I'm thinking of putting them in the same chapter, like I did with these two, but I'll just see how that goes and if it flows right.**


End file.
